Brussels Wants to Kick Kids Off Social Media, A Ban Could Come This Summer

The European Commission is getting serious about kicking children off social media. And it might happen sooner than anyone expected.

President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday that the EU could propose a bloc-wide social media ban for minors as early as this summer. The announcement came amid mounting pressure from member states to strengthen online protections for children. France, Spain, Greece, and Denmark have been leading the calls for measures to shield minors from what governments describe as addictive online platforms.

Speaking at the European Summit on Artificial Intelligence and Children in Copenhagen, von der Leyen told delegates that technology is advancing at lightning speed and penetrating every corner of childhood and adolescence. Several EU countries are already pursuing their own national legislation, but Brussels has faced pressure to maintain a harmonised approach across the single market.

To help navigate the issue, the Commission has established an independent expert panel on online child safety. The panel is assessing possible measures aimed at tackling issues including addiction and social anxiety among minors. Von der Leyen said that without pre-empting the panel's findings, she believes the EU must consider a social media delay. Depending on the results, Brussels could come forward with a legal proposal this summer.

The timeline would allow the EU to move ahead of new French legislation expected to take effect in September. That French law would require platforms including Instagram and TikTok to block users under the age of 15 and suspend existing accounts.

One of the main technical headaches for the EU has been finding a common solution for age verification. Platforms would be expected to use the system to ensure only users above a certain age can access their services. Von der Leyen said discussions about a minimum age for social media can no longer be ignored, and she referred to an EU age-verification app modelled on the bloc's EU Digital COVID Certificate system.

While the Commission has formally recommended the app to member states, several governments have reacted cautiously. Cybersecurity experts have also raised concerns over potential technical vulnerabilities.

The EU is not alone in this push. Australia and Indonesia have already introduced similar measures to restrict children's social media use.

Meanwhile, Brussels has placed platforms including Instagram and Snapchat under scrutiny under the Digital Services Act over concerns that they failed to protect minors adequately. The bloc is also considering banning certain addictive design features under the proposed Digital Fairness Act.

Von der Leyen offered a closing note of urgency, saying that sustainable change does not happen overnight, but if the EU is slow and hesitant, another entire generation of children will pay the price.

Whether the proposal lands this summer or gets bogged down in technical and political negotiations remains to be seen. But the message from Brussels is clear: the era of letting minors roam freely on social media may be coming to an end.

Written by Christiane Hofreiter